Yosemite Forum

Travelling to and visiting Yosemite National Park in Winter and most of Spring, when snow is on the ground. Includes visiting in winter, snow play, downhill and nordic skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, and snow camping.

Hi,
I plan to stay in the heated tent in Curry Villege during Christmas. Has anyone had experince with this in the winter? Are they warm enough? I have a 5 years old kid. I hear of that the blow heater is very noisy that you have to turn it off. Then, it gets really cold. Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Peter

I've stayed at the heated tent cabins several times. They are warm enough. If you turn them up too high you'll wake up in the middle of the night sweating, so adjust the thermostat before going to bed.

The heater noise didn't bother me and I'm a light sleeper. What did bother me (and still does) is the tent cabins are close to each other and they tend to attact a younger (teenage, 20s) crowd. Many people stay up to midnight and a few stay up later and are loud. That's what keeps me from sleeping, not the heater.

You also have to walk to the bathrooms if you need to go in the middle of the night and it is a muddy (or icy) walk in winter.

Only to say we stayed there recently as part of a school trip...ran into a mountain lion walking to the bathrooms and to top that had to find security to deal with a drunk employee housed in the tent behind mine.
No fun....the tents on the other hand seemed warm enough and were fairly comfortable, but Curry is not your luxury spot, that's for sure.

Romney,
It was quite an experince to run into a mountain lion Sonds like I need to take the pot trainner for my kids so that we do not have to go to bathroom during the night.
I'm a little worry about the road condition on Chrismas day when I drive to Yosemite. It is forcasted to be rainning on that day. I may have to put the chain on the tires. If it rains in the Yosemite valley, would it snow on highway 140?
thanks,
Peter

Cars are required to carry chains into Yosemite in Winter. However, if it's raining in the Valley, it's unlikely there's snow on Highway 140--most of the highway is lower than the Valley. That's why it's called the All-weather Highway. Highways 120 and 41 are another story and are snow covered when it's raining in the Valley.

Due to the crowds and expense, we have not been to Yosemite. So, we thought, why not go now (FEB)? However, I looked for park accomodations, and there appears only to be nonheated Curry Village canvas cabins. We have done a lot of camping and have our own tent, bags and supplies; however, to make it easy for a quick weekend, we thought we might just stay in the cabins. Would we freeze?

Also, is there any where in this area to cook safely without drawing bears? It is unclear from the website.

First the bears. You can cook anywhere in the valley where it's allowed for hours on end and not see any bears. It's safe--people do it all the time. What's not safe is leaving food unattended for hours on end (especially overnight) outside or visible in the car. Bears like to prowl late at night when nobody is around to bother them. In Curry, people usually picnic on top of the bear boxes, which are stacked two high and make a nice cooking platform. Some cook out of the back of their car/van/truck. Not luxury and no picnic tables. The best (warmest) spot to picnic is in the "Church Bowl" area. It has tables, a warm sun, and view of Half Dome and Glacier Point. It's between the Village area and Ahwahnee Hotel.

Unheated tent cabins? Yes, you'll freeze. You can dress warmly and bring lots of blankets, but unless you've camped in freezing weather before or are willing to put up with discomfort until you know how to keep warm, I wouldn't do it. What I would do is keep checking the <www.yosemitepark.com> website for a HEATED tent cabin. People often cancel at the last moment (usually a week or 2 before the trip). Monday afternoons seem to be a good time to snag cancelled reservations.

Some friends and I are planning a New Year's trip to Yosemite Valley. We'll be arriving on Dec 29th and staying until Jan 3. I know it will be cold at night, but are the days reasonable? Also, is the lodge at Curry Village open to play games or read? Just curious if I get too cold!